Willmar, MN – The Willmar Area Community Foundation is pleased to announce awards of $128,000 to 7 local organizations from their 2020-2021 Community Impact Grant Round. The three focus areas of the grant round were for projects that addressed the Opportunity Gap for youth, increased community connections or welcoming diverse populations and to support productive aging, in addition to limited capital investments.
“During these challenging times, Kandiyohi County continues to be proactive, innovative and collaborative to maintain the vitality of our community. By developing and maintaining diverse, equitable and inclusive programs and projects, the Willmar area continues to respond to the needs of today, tomorrow and beyond. The Foundation is happy to partner and fuel this work,” quotes Sara Carlson, Executive Director of the Willmar Area Community Foundation.
The grants awarded from the WACF Community Impact Grant Round are as follows:
- $20,000 to the Willmar Public Schools Child Guide Program to support underserved and low income Pre K-grade 5 students with enrichment and recreational resources offered in the schools and the community;
- $20,000 to the revamped Healthy Aging Program to decrease social isolation for people 55 and older that builds relationships and connectedness while providing physical and social activity, in addition to educational opportunities at the Kandiyohi County Area Family YMCA;
- $20,000 to MNyou Junior Master Gardener Program, in partnership with the Willmar Community Integration Center (CIC), that provides children with culturally relevant learning experiences including lessons in production and operations, sales techniques and building entrepreneurial and business skills for future careers;
- $20,000 to support the Multi-Lingual Community Journalism Program that will provide basic journalism skills to area bilingual residents so they can serve as key communicators within their communities and assist in addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion through Ridgewater College;
- $20,000 to Project Turnabout for the construction of an addiction recovery campus to help women suffering from addictive illness through a full continuum of services including licensed medium/low intensity residential treatment to outpatient treatment, through early recovery and independent living support;
- $20,000 to the City of Atwater for the building of an all-inclusive children’s splash pad to encourage community connections, welcome diverse populations and support the vitality of the Atwater Area; and
- $8,000 to Advocacy & Inclusion Matter for the purchase of cellular tablets to support clients with necessary online access to allow for provided virtual programming that promotes connectedness and inclusivity for all consumers.
The Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local Willmar area. Since 1998, WACF has grown to over $19.8 million in assets and awarded $9.6 million in grants to nonprofits. The WACF is governed by a local board of directors and is a partner of CommunityGiving, which is a collaborative of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers over 880 funds totaling more than $153 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/Willmar.